THE ADVANTAGE OF AN IT TEAM SET FREE WITH EMV

A Conversation With an American Restaurant Executive

Squirrel has deployed EMV solutions in Canadian and international markets since 2010. The conversation we imagine in our EMV Insight series is one we’ve had hundreds of times over with executives like you — and we’ve helped guide countless organizations, big and small, through to the other side. As the same change gains ground in the United States, we are your ideal staging partner — we know EMV capability, security, and payment flow like no one else. With Squirrel, achieve operational excellence and ease for staff, guests, and owners alike.

“Isn’t it an IT team’s job to stop fraud and hacks? If they’re not doing that, what would they do?”

The freed-up IT team is innovation’s secret weapon.

As the world’s last major market to still use old-fashioned swipe-and-sign magnetic strip cards, American consumers and merchants are paying a serious price. The country’s antiquated card technology means the United States suffers nearly half of the world’s credit card fraud, despite it being home to only approximately a quarter of all credit transactions.
—U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing: “Privacy in the Digital Age: Preventing Data Breaches and Combating Cybercrime” (2014)(1)

Right now, the focus of your IT team or professional is to guard. They stand resolute, managing the security solutions and procedures to watch for compromised data, hackers, viruses. But when IT is standing resolute, they’re standing still.

By keeping your POS system clean of the liability of credit card data, EMV solutions significantly reduce PCI compliance requirements and protect your brand from the potential blowback of a security breach. From an IT perspective, how might you redirect this staff time? Imagine digital loyalty programs that proactively invite more visits and sales. With a wireless infrastructure, we can see that Margaret, a financial executive, is in the neighborhood. It’s that quarterly time for a lunch meeting to rally and set her team’s goals. Imagine sending her a coupon automatically. Hi Margaret! This week, we’ve got 20% off for your group, and the chef’s table is open…
Without the built-in, automatic security of EMV payments, your IT team is stuck locking arms and standing on the perimeter. But they’d rather innovate, proactively, to make a difference.